'Little' progress in Sarabjit's murder case: Pak judge

2 years ago

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Asserting that there has been "little" progress in the high-profile murder case of Indian spy Sarabjit Singh, a Pakistani judge has admonished police for lack of cooperation with the court and ordered the arrest of a jail official.

An additional district and sessions judge Lahore yesterday directed the Lahore police chief to ensure the appearance of Deputy Superintendent of Kot Lakhpat jail on February 17.

The judge said there had been "little" progress in Sarabjit's case who was murdered about four years ago at the Kot Lakhpat central jail in Lahore.

During the hearing, the judge admonished the jail authorities for not cooperating with the court and also issued bailable arrest warrant for the Deputy Superintendent who despite repeated summons had failed to appear before the court.

Two Pakistani death row prisoners - Amir Tamba and Mudassar - had allegedly attacked Sarabjit in the Kot Lakhpat jail and killed him in May 2013.

One-man judicial commission of Justice Mazhar Ali Akbar Naqvi of Lahore high court had initially investigated Sarabjit's murder case before the trial kicked off in the sessions court.

Naqvi recorded the statements of some 40 witnesses in the murder of Sarabjit and submitted its report to the government which is yet to make its findings public.

The one-man commission had also issued notices to Sarabjit's relatives through the foreign ministry to record their statements and to produce any evidence they had regarding his death.

However, Sarabjit's family did not record their statements, the officials had said.

Tamba and Mudassar, in their statements to the commission, had confessed to the crime and said they killed Sarabjit as they wanted to avenge the killing of people in Lahore and Faisalabad in bomb blasts allegedly carried out by the Indian national.

Sarabjit had been sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a string of bombings in 1990.

Both Tamba and Mudassar have been indicted in the murder case in the court of additional district and sessions judge Lahore. The next hearing of the case will be held on February 17.